If you need higher call volumes, you can still sign up for a paid API subscription plan from The Weather Company. Prices begin at $200/month. To have a representative contact you or to request a demo, please click to fill out the contact form.

Finally, we are humbled by the loyalty you’ve shown us during this difficult transition period. Thank you for your continued support of the Weather Underground community.

I realize the intent is to limit the amount of information that is given away for free, but I would cordially request that a 10 day forecast be included instead of the 5 day, as 10 day is the expected normal for a look ahead forecast. Not trying to be greedy, but offering a compromise that would be beneficial to everyone.

Hi, I’m also a long time PWS contributer and API key personal user, but haven’t been contacted about transitioning to the new key and API yet andI don’t want to be left out of the transition. My current station is KTXPASAD21 and my WU account’s email is up to date too. Thanks.

The post you're commenting on is the most up-to-date information on the transition to the API for PWS owner/uploaders.

If you would like to get added to my email list for PWS owners, email me your PWS id, and your API key, and I will send you information as it becomes available. But it will fundamentally be the same information found on this Forum.

Obviously IBM was not interested in finding out what our use cases were and instead are going to just try to shove something down our throat and expect us to like it. Getting json is worthless to me and will break a lot of stuff unless I re-engineer it.

It is nice to see that slowly there is information available for the new API. However I still can not see anything about the non-PWS owner low call volume option.Is there still something like this planned or has that option being abandoned?My suspicion is that we "free leechers" are being terminated. Afterall a business is there to make money, right?

The end of service email stated:For developers who use WU API data for non-commercial purposes, you will have access to a new plan for a personal use, low call volume API. Stay tuned for more details as we build this out.

It is extremely disappointing that the low volume non-commercial API usage will be withdrawn completely. My requirements are to use less than 10 calls a day for 6 months of the year, so as you can expect I can not justify $200/month on a project that is non profit, diverting funds away from other places. However its not like we weren't prepared to pay something or even asked to - were happy to contribute but not to the extent requested.

The first email failing to be received by seemingly anyone was unfortunate. The announcement at the time stating there will be plans for users exactly like myself, a muck-up. The lack of an email on the update, shows a lack of care.

On the up side, less than 6 weeks until your job goes back to normal levels of support requests - hope they don't turn their back on you too.

I will make other arrangements for data unless someone reaches out to me via email.

I'm surprised the Weather Company, owned by IBM, is citing their inability to scale their infrastructure as their reason for closing.down the open API. I would have thought their cloud solutions marketing team would love to tell the Underground API story. It's good for business from both a technical and altruistic standpoint. I work part-time in charitable software product development and we provide weather and other services to the elderly at no cost. Professionally, I manage a large IBM infrastructure department. I'm disappointed in IBM!

Apparently, someone decided developers shouldn't have API access anymore. New products start with the developers. If developers aren't familiar with the API it won't be suggested for new products.

The PWS owners are the source of all the data. However, they will only get 5 day forecast instead of the previous 10 day. There's no hourly forecast. Is this the way people are being thanked for all the PWS data?

As already mentioned, there are plenty of other companies that offer the data for low usage experimentation and development. In particular darksky.net offers 7 day forecast both daily and hourly in a json format. It took very little time to convert my programs and customers to that web site.

When I worked for IBM, people would have been fired if they suggested retiring an existing API before the new API was available and tested.

Don't forget the Ambient Weather Weatherbridge (look for it on Amazon) that takes data from any weather station and uploads it to a whole host of weather data providers. You are not stuck with one provider with this device.

Discontinued...HOWEVER...those units were actually meteobridge devices, and if you can follow directions, you can make your own for a $30 hardware investment and a 65 Euro software investment (currently $74.50) and a 1 hr time investment (10 minutes of work and 50 minutes figuring out what to do).

I looked at all available data for this new api key transition but cannot find how to get the new api key. Sort of useless messages back and forth saying the same thing over and over. I run a local weather site https://www.nicomaparkwx.com that relies a great deal on my WU feeds and access to my WU api to also retrieve data Ive sent. I see a major re-write to alot of my php and json scripts but can do nothing without the new api key to start the re-write. I see the old fields 14 of them now changed to 27 and a major headache. I only plan on using the free 1500 calls a day which is an improvement over the 500 and 6 min calls.

I have been waiting since Nov of 2017 for info on this changeover and seems everyone daily is asking the same with the same We will let you know when we get more info Its getting old and boring. Feb 15 is a month away and and not alot of time left for us to do the major re-writes to our software..The owner of meteotemplate.com needs to know soon to be able to re-write his software also.

Again... we are asking when will we get a more solid answer. Time is running out.

Nice site you have and we are in the same boat so to speak. You need to turn on the ability to change language and imperial settings in your upper right corner. I don't remember where that setting is but guessing in the main config file.

Our weather site uses a paid WU API key. As soon as we saw the EOS message about 4 months ago, we tried writing to WU support, filling the form at http://biz.weather.com/WU-Data-API_Data-Package-Demo-Request.html and got no response so far. 4 months of silence. It seems that the only source of information about the situation is here in this community. Now it looks like our key will continue to work till Feb 15. No official statements besides the EOS announcement (that has no useful information), no feedback, and a "demo request" form that's not working. Way to go IBM.

I do not plan on a paid subscription as I don't generate revenue. I run a free site and no paid ads. Free as in Free. I have been feeding WU for nearly 11 years. Does that count for a free 1500 api key?

Then I don't understand. What contact are you desiring, then? The gateway for the PWS uploaders isn't ready yet; I have not been responding to those notes because I don't have any new information. I hope for news every day, but I know no one wants to hear that.

I'm not part of the web site team, so I don't have access to that information. However, as someone who has worked on the web for decades, any web site that is not undergoing development is in the process of dying. And since I know there are people working on it, I would have to say that it will change, although whether or not those changes will be noticeable to users is another matter altogether.

@ivo said:Would you like to report your weather station data to Windy?Are you owner of personal weather station? Are you maintainer of network of weather stations?We plan to create API endpoints so you could send your weather station data to us. Please help us to do this project by answering following questions:1) What type of weather station you have2) Do you report your data to some other Internet website?3) How technically do you send your reports to this other website. Which software or protocol do you use.4) Do you have any tips and ideas, how should our reporting API look like?5) Would you be willing to offer your station data to anyone else (not only windy.com) as open data?

Please provide some feedback over on their forum using the above link.

We're glad to host a place for open discussion about the WU API transition.

We'd like to remind our PWS owners/contributors:

Your past data will always be available to you for viewing and download in a web browser on wunderground.com, just like it always has.

If you are in the small minority of people who use the WU API and a corresponding WU API key to obtain data in .json format, here's what's happening:

- We'll open a registration page for you to get a new API key to get your data in .json format- You'll sign up and get a new API key for the new API- Once the registration page is open, we'll keep the old API and your old API key active for 2 weeks to allow transition time to your new key

We'll announce in the forum when the registration page opens.Or, email victoria.gardner@ibm.com to receive an email notification once it's ready.

Well, I did initially intend to stick with WU. However only being able to get a 5 Day forecast instead of a 10-day forecast and no hourly forecast is a big decider for me. I am just an amateur weather "geek" who does this for a bit of a hobby. Since I got my weather station I have learnt a lot about html, php, JS, API's etc to be able to produce my website. Its non-profit and just for fun, not an app.I make an hourly call to get the forecast data and decode the json to get the information I need, so only 24 calls a day (unless WU dont return a decent forecast json and the I call it again). I do use the radar call to grab an image every 15 minutes so thats 96 more, so 120 calls / day.

I have been trying Darkskys API and it gives far more information and I am in the process of converting my website and will switch over in a few days. As for the Radar, I can live without it until I can find another source. The WU radar image was hit and miss anyway.

So I am sorry WU, the new significantly reduced API is not a big enough carrott for me to keep providing you with my PWS data. You need to consider upping the ante before myself and many other loyal WU supporters switch off. I am sure there will be many many API users globally who are not even aware that the API is changing and will suddenly start hitting WU wanting to know why it has stopped. I think WU are in for interesting times and I hope the powers that be reconsider.

Not all PWS uploaders are users of the API. In fact, only a small fraction of PWS uploaders are using the API. Efforts have been made, over and over, to contact all active API users, without paying attention to whether or not they're using PWSs. I have been posting my email address for about 2 months now, telling anyone who sees it they may contact me to be added to the email list. Or just to reach out to me to ask questions. People do, every day.

We ask for email addresses for the API keys, but as someone who can actually look at that data, I know how bad it is. That's why I keep doing it this way, so that I know the email is correct and fresh, and is associated with a working PWS.

The next week or two will be busy, no doubt about it. But the last several months have been pretty busy, too, so we never know. When people don't respond to emails, or they go to addresses that no one ever looks at, there's not much we can do about it.

I want to take a moment and thank again everyone who has been patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) waiting for the transition. We at WU have so many truly marvelous users. Keep those emails and questions coming!

My concern is two weeks might not be enough to implement the change and test especially if it requires going through several people. For example one of my devices uses software written by someone else and i configure it with my key which I will need to replace. I have other software that I can modify so hopefully I'll be able to use that to make sure my weather data is flowing correctly.

Also what happens if someone happens to be away on travel during this period.

Actually do we need to modify our upload as well? Again I am using someone else's program to upload my data to Wunderground and other website and I'm not sure if the developer is still active.

I think once the API keys are actually available and people can actually test their code changes then you can start a clock to disable the old keys.

I think they haven't realized the fact that most of the pws users using ther api are not professional coders. It took me about one full year to learn coding, code and debug my heating controller prototype in state it runs 24/7/362 flawlessly :D

As i understand the upload process stays untouched cause otherwice they would loose almost all the pws data :)

Yes, I do realize that most of the PWS API users -- which is a ﻿much﻿ different group than the PWS owners as a whole -- may not be professional coders. But this API ﻿must﻿ go down, and the delays must end.

If the person who wrote the app isn't responding, it won't matter how long we delay. I have spoken with companies who distribute software utilizing the API and I know exactly what's going on. But that doesn't change the fact that the API ﻿﻿﻿must﻿ go down.

Marko, you are correct -- the upload process from PWS to WU will remain unchanged.

You are absolutely correct,If all the people who upload data to WU used the API's then things would be very different.They would be more considerate about what they're doing. But that isn't the case.

They are correct in one aspect, software does change and upgrades are required to keep the products fresh and current. But here is the difference, IBM knows that only a very very small percent of users actually use the API and write programs for their personal and sometimes for professional use. So, it doesn't matter how inconsiderate they are to those who use the API. If they loose every client that uses the API it doesn't matter to them at all. It will have zero effect on the amount of data they receive.

Once you realize that you as an API user doesn't matter to them the better off you will be.

I'm working night and day, and weekends too, it seems, trying to help people who use (or want to use) the API. I'm not the only one, either.

Once again, anyone who wants to be on the PWS API email list, just send me your PWS ID. If you have more than one API key, send me the one you want to protect, too. I will respond when you're added, and with any questions.

I wasn't even in the building when The Weather Company's API was designed, Scott. I would never make assumptions about what you know or don't know. Systems architecture is not part of what I do or have ever done.

You have to keep in mind that the new system is utterly separate from the old API.

Once again, anyone who wants to be on the PWS API email list, just send me your PWS ID. If you have more than one API key, send me the one you want to protect, too. I will respond when you're added, and with any questions.

As for this not making sense to any coder you sir are wrong. I have been writing code for over thirty years and I understand the business decision has made by buying a company and deprecating the purchased company API in favor of the buyers existing API.

Logic says if they are keeping the existing upload API logic dictates the same for download from the same existing API which WORKS.

What Victoria refuses to answer is this....

API users will be charged 3 API calls for each segment of data they require from the existing 1 API call. The end results will be to force the users to eventually having to pay the FREE API data they supply to IBM because they will more then likely exhaust their free plan.

Of course the UPLOAD hasn't changed and is free. If that changed, they would get very little data. Since they are now bent on making money off our free data, the API must change and there be a cost associated with it.

Keeping a service running is not inexpensive. You have to pay for electricity, air conditioning, backups, rent, staff, etc. Software does not just keep running forever. Either the cost to keep an old platform running becomes too expensive, or an OS upgrade breaks stuff or domain knowledge is lost as people retire or move on, technology changes, etc.

There are companies that sell devices and/or services that rely on W data which puts a burden on Wunderground. There's quite a few DIY IOT projects that people expect to be able to access for free. Now that W wants to charge that will piss people off but so long as they are willing to waive that for people that upload I'm willing to continue to provide data.

I'm glad to hear that the upload API is not changing at least at this time. I would expect the number of hits per second or minute or what ever time period you want to consider for accessing data far exceeds the number of API calls for uploading so it's not as critical that the upload API be replaced immediately especially if they don't want to risk losing lots of PWS providers.

However when products or API's being deprecated they usually give you a reasonable amount of time to phase over to the new stuff AFTER the replacement has been made available.

Unless I missed something, it sound like as soon as the new API and keys are available we are expected to drop what we are doing and rewrite our code or hope that the developers of any devices or library packages we use will be able to make changes and make it available for us to install and test again within a two week window which we don't know in advance. What happens if we are on vacation or busy with work or family or other commitments or a combination? That's the part that I do not think is reasonable.

Scott- It does not matter what we think because it is not our company. There could be a number of reasons that IBM is writing a new api format. Perhaps they will be using a different data format, server configuration, or just want to limit traffic and/or resources...no matter the reason, they have already committed to ending the existing system. Am I happy about it..no. But then it’s not my company. All I know is I have not paid a dime for their services over the past 8 years. If you can pay for the resources and write the code to do it, I would encourage you to start your own company and get it done. I would be your first free customer!! I think you would soon see there are MANY more factors to consider than simple data regurgitation.

Paul- You have never needed an api to get your own data. You can download a csv file from your site’s homepage.

William- WU has alternate sources for data. I am not sure how much (if any) the PWS system factors into the “new” WU/TWC/IBM algorithm. I personally am just glad they are still allowing the wundermap.

Claude- You need to be aware that the data available to call will only be the 5 approved data sets (see the documentation). Also there will be no xml calls allowed.

Scott, I am not refusing to answer -- I haven't seen this as an issue in this thread.

We are providing 3x more data than before. And you seem to be the only person who keeps bring this up. As someone who has looked at so many many keys I can't even begin to think of the number anymore, I can tell you there's not a magic 3-calls-in-one thing going on here. Users of the old API don't all make combined calls. I don't know why you harp on this.

The old API only allowed 500 calls on a free API key. In the new system PWS API owners will get 1500 per day. Yes, there is a relatively restricted range of forecast data, but it's free. PWS historical data, free. PWS lookup by geocode, zip code and location,free. Current observations from the PWS network, free.

If you don't want it, that is your prerogative.

Any PWS uploaders who want to be added to the email list for more information as it becomes available about the new PWS API, send me an email with your PWS ID and your API key, if you have one.

I am still sending updates to PWS users who want to know more about getting an API key on the new system when they become available. If you want to be added to the list, please email me your PWS ID, so I can verify that you will be eligible.

When the gateway is open, I (or one of my colleagues) will also post the information on the Forum, so if you would prefer to check back in this space, that is also an option.

the least I expected from you (as a respect for station owners who have been providing you with their data for so many years) was to make a list of weather station owners regardless of whether they asked for information or not, and to keep up-to-date with clear conversations and not to look like the asshole in various posts like this post that is so badly made that I get lost whenever I'm looking to find the new information.

I sent you a message as you asked us and the answer and the only one was 2 months ago "that I overcame raindrops and have to check for paid service" ....after no update, or I am dumb and I did not yet understand or I am entitled to a free key and a clear space with the key information and not the gossip links that you referred to as this https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eKCnKXI9xnoMGRRzOL1xPCBihNV2rOet08qpE_gArAY/ edit

send a shuffle with clear text of the steps you need to follow as a station ownerof course I will interrupt data from my station if you do not send it and of course I do not like the package you offer us

<station_id> IGRESTMA2 </ station_id>I will wait for your message to ask you some questions about the new keybut the most important ones arewhen you say a free 5-day forecast, do you mean that this forecast will only be for one region or will I be able to use the key to make predictions for more than one area?one-hour forecasts stop;ten-day forecasts stops;xml api stops;The current date for the API to go down is 15 Feb 2019; your key will stop working then?today is February 17th unless my computer broke down, or unless you gave us a new api and by magic it works.

A) The vast majority of all PWS owners do nothing at all with any API. So rather than bothering all PWS owners with something they don't care about, I give people the option to join an email list. It is not the only avenue for information. If you would like to be part of that email stream, please, by all means send me an email!

B) Because of privacy rules, I cannot pluck email addresses from everyone who has ever emailed me. Not everyone who emails me asks about the API in any case.

C) Although I am able to pluck an email address associated with your PWS, I am choosing to require that people email me with it in order that I can be certain I have a good email address. So many of the email addresses in the WU database are useless for communication, and the whole point of this is communication. And again, privacy rules would make putting someone into an email list without their explicit approval questionable.

D) Questions about the new API:-- The 5-day forecast works by sending it a location. Send it any location you like.-- Yes, the new, free API will not have access to 10-day forecasts or hourly forecasts.-- Yes, the new free API will not have XML format available, only JSON.

E) Drop-dead date: Yes, 15 February 2019 EXCEPT for API keys connected to a PWS. Keys have already started being disabled, and will continue to be on the rolling basis. The process is not like turning out the lights, it's a process. But I can assure you that it has begun.

One note of caution: In a few, very rare cases (so far, something like 1-2%) PWS uploaders' API keys are NOT connected to their PWS id. In those case the ONLY way I can be sure your API key is maintained while we are transitioning you to the new API is if I have your information in my protected list. If you want me to check, I will. Just send me an email with your PWS ID and API key. Be sure to tell me if you want to be added to the email list, also, because I get so many emails right now I need explicit instructions about what you are expecting from me. Anyone in my email list who sent me their PWS id and API key, if they were not connected when I checked in the administrative parts of the API, I automatically moved you to my protected list. A few people I have emailed about their keys. So particularly if you're on my email list and have not heard from me about your API key, all is well.

F) The documentation you cited in your note above is not gossip. It is the official documentation for the new API. It includes code examples as well. I'm not clear about why you would call it gossip.

Lastly, the gateway for keys to the new API is not open yet. We hope it will be very very soon. More information on that when it becomes available.

I'm sorry the process is confusing. I'm sorry you are finding it difficult to follow the many threads here. If I have not addressed your concerns, please either post something more here or drop me an email.

With all of these API questions...The problem that eats at me is this: why the hell should I upload free data to you so that you can charge others for my data. How about I start charging you for my data then? Doesn't that seem fair?

So if you receive no benefit, never check your dashboard, never use a historical chart, never get a forecast for your area or somewhere else, never need the history of your station on 12/25/2006, or even want to check your webcam on 7/4/2010 (or yesterday), then it only makes sense that you stop sending to WU/TWC because you do not use their services at all. I personally enjoy the ability to to do all the above, for free, even without an API, so any API is a plus. I may or may not use it. I have already put alternatives in place, but will I never use WU again? Heck no!! Why would I feel so privileged that WU owes me something? They are a company that by definition MUST make a profit (or fail to exist). I am an individual that, for free, has a place to store and retrieve data from my own PWS. I actually would be very surprised WU/TWC uses PWS data at all (which would make such data worthless).

Sorry if I go against the grain here but I think I have been more than compensated for my data.

Tom

And Mike. You will still be able to get a forecast for your area (or any other area) without using the api or donating data. The issue is the API which allows you to use WU/TWC data on another website automatically by converting the ‘code’ from WU into displayable data over a regular interval.

You will still be able to go to wunderground.com and enter a zip code and get all the forecasts you want.

I personally am not one of those who expect something for nothing; my gripe is more that I am perfectly willing and ready to pay for access to the wunderground data, but IBM do not seem to want my money. It's the same for the Weather Channel data... that is a large **fixed** monthly cost, rather than a **per-use** cost. Again, I'd love to give IBM some money for access to TWC data, but based on what I use, not based on some arbitrary fixed quota that's way too much for my needs. Look at the darksky model. That's what wunderground could have evolved into. But instead the plug has been pulled. I thought there was a law against big dominant companies abusing their power?